The vault door trembled as the containment sigil flickered wildly, its once-stable energy collapsing under the overload. Cracks spread through the golden engravings, and with a final, earsplitting boom, the sealing mechanisms gave way. The entire chamber trembled as ancient gears shifted, grinding against centuries of dust and time.
Elias took a step forward, his gauntlet humming as it scanned the residual energy in the air. The pulse coming from beyond the doorway wasn't just magic—it was something else, something alive.
Marco exhaled sharply. "That wasn't just a security failure. Whatever's behind this door… it's waking up."
The door groaned as the last of its locks disengaged. A deep, resonant hum vibrated through the walls, and then, with an unnatural smoothness, the colossal slabs slid apart, revealing the chamber beyond.
The room was nothing like the rest of Solmara.
Golden light radiated from the center, casting long shadows across the smooth obsidian floors. The walls pulsed with streams of living circuitry, flowing like veins beneath the surface. In the middle of the chamber, suspended within a containment field of shifting energy, floated a massive core—a sphere of brilliant blue and gold, constantly shifting between physical form and pure energy.
The Vanguard Core.
Lira took a slow step inside, gripping the hilt of her dagger. "Okay. That… is definitely not a normal power source."
Kierian exhaled, staring up at it with something between awe and wariness. "It's more than that. The Core is a living construct, designed to absorb and manipulate energy on a scale beyond what even the Academy understands."
Reinhardt crossed his arms. "So what you're saying is… we're about to mess with something that probably shouldn't be messed with?"
Elias barely heard them. His entire focus was locked onto the Core. He could feel it, pulsing in the air around him, like an unspoken challenge.
Marco ran a quick scan, his interface flickering with incomplete readings. "It's not outputting power like a normal energy core… It's… It's reacting to us."
Elias stepped closer, ignoring the warnings flashing across his gauntlet. His mind raced. If this Core was truly alive, then that meant it wasn't just a power source—it was a conscious system. It could think, adapt, maybe even… decide.
The containment field flickered, then spiked outward, sending a wave of static through the chamber. Everyone tensed, weapons drawn, waiting for an attack.
Then the Core spoke.
Not with words. Not with sound.
But with a sudden, overwhelming surge of information, flooding directly into Elias's mind.
For a brief moment, he wasn't standing in Solmara anymore. He was somewhere else—floating within a storm of fragmented data, half-formed images flashing too fast to process. He caught glimpses of warriors in ancient armor, their weapons glowing with energy, fighting against monstrous, shifting shadows. He saw towers collapsing, machines burning, the very sky splitting open.
Then, he heard a voice. Not mechanical. Not human.
"You are not Vanguard."
The presence pushed against his mind, measuring, testing, analyzing.
Elias gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stay anchored. "I don't have to be," he growled. "I came to finish what they started."
The energy around him flared again, but this time, the pushback wasn't as forceful. It was curious.
"Purpose?" the voice questioned.
Elias took a breath. "To fight. To build. To stop what's coming."
The Core pulsed. The containment field flickered once, then stabilized. The pressure against his mind eased, and just like that, the connection snapped.
He stumbled back, gasping for air as his vision returned to normal.
Marco was immediately in his face. "Elias?! What the hell just happened? You just—stopped moving for, like, ten seconds!"
Elias wiped the sweat from his forehead. "The Core… it's sentient. Or at least partially aware. It wanted to know why we're here."
Kierian frowned. "And? What did you tell it?"
Elias took another breath, steadying himself. "The truth."
The Core pulsed again. Then, with a sudden shift, its energy output changed, no longer defensive but receptive. The containment field lowered, its golden glow dimming as if inviting them forward.
Cecilia smirked. "Well. That's probably not a bad sign."
Ivy didn't relax. "Or it's a trap."
Lira sighed. "It's always a trap."
Elias stepped forward, ignoring the arguments behind him. He reached out, placing a hand against the Core's surface. The moment he touched it, everything changed.
Energy flooded into him, raw and untamed, sending a shockwave through his nerves. His gauntlet's interface overloaded, flickering wildly as it tried to process the impossible amount of data being poured into him.
Then, for the second time, the voice returned.
"Integration request detected."
Elias's mind reeled, trying to grasp what was happening. The Core wasn't just a power source. It was a fusion system—one that could merge with external systems. And right now, it was recognizing his gauntlet, his exosuit, his entire technology framework… and offering something new.
A direct integration.
The Core wasn't just giving him power. It was offering to become part of his armor.
Elias's breath came fast and uneven. If he did this—if he let the Core sync with his suit—it wouldn't just be a power upgrade. It would be a new frontier.
His suit wouldn't just run on kinetic force anymore. It would operate on pure energy conversion, evolving beyond anything the Academy, the Vanguard, or even the Primordial Lords had ever seen.
But it was a risk.
He felt the weight of the choice pressing down on him. Once he took this step, there would be no undoing it. The Vanguard Core would be part of him, part of his war armor, part of every battle he fought from this moment on.
Marco's voice cut through the chaos. "Elias? Talk to me, man. What's happening?"
Elias tightened his grip, feeling the Core's hum beneath his fingers.
"I think…" He exhaled, eyes burning with new determination.
"…I just found the power source for my war armor."
The Core pulsed one final time, as if accepting his answer.
And then, everything went white.